Modern medication dispensing systems such as IV pumps are typically located at a patient's bedside. When it becomes necessary to move the patient, this is frequently accomplished by wheeling the bed and patient from room to room using the wheels commonly provided on hospital beds. However, if the patient is connected to one or more IV pumps, on an IV stand, it is often not possible to move the patient without interrupting the supply of medication, even if two persons are provided (one for the bed and the other for the stand). This is because, in part, the patient is put at risk if the stand is not moved in careful synchronism with the bed. If the stand is allowed to lag behind the bed, the connections to the patient may be broken and the delivery of critical medications interrupted. Therefore it is desirable to mount the stand so that is connected to the bed. Although it is possible in theory to clamp the stand fixedly to the bed and raise the stand so that it is out of contact with the floor, such an arrangement requires the elevation of a stand that may carry multiple IV pumps or other medical equipment, such as ventilators, that collectively are too heavy to be lifted by one person and which would raise the center of gravity of the bed to the point that it may become unstable particularly on sloped surfaces.
If a wheeled stand is connected to the bed through a hinged connection, with the hinge having a vertical axis, the stand might be trailered behind the bed but the floor surface would have to be perfectly level to avoid binding as the bed travels across irregular surfaces. Since irregular and sloped surfaces are common in medical facilities, especially between connected buildings a simple hinge will not suffice in a majority of circumstances that require moving the bed, patient and medical equipment together.